Clinical Practice Patterns of Interventional Radiologists by Gender.

Area of Science:

• Medical Specialties
• Radiology
• Health Workforce Studies

Background:

• Workforce diversity is a growing concern in medical specialties.
• Understanding gender-based practice patterns is crucial for equitable representation in interventional radiology (IR).
• Previous research has not fully characterized practice differences between male and female interventional radiologists.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze potential gender-based disparities in the practice patterns of interventional radiologists.
• To compare case mix, procedural complexity, and patient complexity between male and female interventional radiologists.
• To assess the distribution of clinical work effort across different service categories by gender.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Medicare claims data to identify interventional radiologists based on clinical work effort.
• Descriptively analyzed practice patterns, including case mix and procedural complexity, stratified by gender.
• Compared patient complexity scores and time allocation for invasive, noninvasive, and evaluation/management services.

Main Results:

• Women constituted 8.2% of identified interventional radiologists, with significant geographic and career-stage variations.
• Interventional case mix, procedural complexity, and average patient complexity were similar between female and male IRs.
• Female IRs dedicated slightly less effort to invasive and noninvasive services but more to evaluation and management visits compared to male IRs.

Conclusions:

• Despite underrepresentation, female interventional radiologists exhibit practice patterns comparable to their male counterparts in terms of case and procedural complexity.
• The higher proportion of evaluation and management visits by female IRs aligns with the specialty's growing emphasis on longitudinal patient care.
• Addressing underrepresentation and supporting diverse practice styles can contribute to the thriving of interventional radiology.